Beating charges held for court
All charges against a Uniontown native who allegedly beat a Penn State University student to death in February were held for trial after a preliminary hearing Thursday in State College. Police said Andrew A. Rogers, 28, will stand trial on criminal homicide charges, in addition to robbery and theft, after he allegedly beat Youngcheol Park, 24, with a baseball bat, a rolling pin and a beer bottle in an apparent argument over money and cocaine on Feb. 23. The hearing was held before Magisterial District Judge Jonathan D. Grine.
Officials said Park of South Korea was studying aerospace engineering at Penn State prior to his death.
Uniontown police Lt. Michael Metros said he testified Thursday that four days after the murder, Rogers entered the Uniontown police station and told him “there may be a body in my kitchen.”
According to police, Rogers, a 1995 Uniontown Area High School graduate, then provided Metros with a written statement regarding the incident.
In a criminal complaint filed by State College police Detective Michael T. McDannel, Rogers and Park, who Rogers told police was a cocaine dealer, were at Rogers’ State College residence Feb. 23. Rogers also told police a third man identified only as “Sweet,” a friend of Park’s, also was at his apartment.
McDannel said Rogers told police that evening he allegedly saw “Sweet” rifling through his cash and confronted him.
Police said “Sweet” then put a garbage bag over Rogers’ head. Rogers then grabbed a rolling pin from between his couch cushions and struck “Sweet,” police said.
At that point, Park entered the fight, and Rogers put the bag over his head and struck him with the rolling pin as well as a bottle Park had attempted to use as a weapon against Rogers and a baseball bat, McDannel said.
Rogers also told police he beat “Sweet” with the bat, police said, and noted that Park then pulled a gun from his backpack.
Rogers said he knocked the weapon away from Park, struck him several more times and then noticed “Sweet” removing bags of cocaine from Park’s bag, police said.
Police said Rogers then moved to stop “Sweet” but returned to Park as he tried to grab the gun from the kitchen floor.
Rogers told police he beat Park several more times and then wedged the bat under Park’s chin with his knees, police said. Police said Rogers told them that “Sweet” then held Rogers at gunpoint and fled the scene.
Police said Rogers then stole Park’s wallet, packed a suitcase and left the apartment early Feb. 24.
Police said when they entered Rogers’ apartment, they found Park’s decomposing body on the kitchen floor and noted the apartment appeared to reflect a scuffle, with a bloody baseball bat found near the kitchen, bloody clothes found in a hallway and “blood throughout the home.”
Rogers is being held without bail at the Centre County Correctional Facility.